Arkansas becomes first state to drop partnership with PBS

Arkansas has become the first state to cut ties with PBS after a state commission voted to end the public television partnership on Thursday.

The Arkansas Educational Television Commission said it plans to disaffiliate from the public broadcaster because its annual membership dues were simply “not feasible.” The dues cost around $2.5 million per year. The commission also pointed to the loss of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which was defunded by Congress over the summer.